Yes. To go through
with a difficult and dangerous undertaking, a man wants more than brute
courage. He wants spiritual courage--the courage which comes by faith.
He needs to have faith in what he is doing; to be certain that he is
doing his duty, to be certain that he is in the right. Certain that
right will conquer, certain that God will make it conquer, by him or by
some one else; certain that he will either conquer honourably, or fail
honourably, for God is with him. In a word, to have true courage, man
needs faith in God.
To give one example. Look at the class of men who, in all England,
undergo the most fearful dangers; who know not at what hour of any night
they may not be called up to the most serious labour and responsibility,
with the chance of a horrible and torturing death. I mean the firemen of
our great cities, than whom there are no steadier, braver, nobler-hearted
men. Not a week passes without one or more of these firemen, in trying
to save life and property, doing things which are altogether heroic.
What do you fancy keeps them up to their work? High pay? The amusement
and excitement of fires? The vanity of being praised for their courage?
My friends, those would be but paltry weak motives, which would not keep
a man's heart calm and his head clear under such responsibility and
danger as theirs.
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